Why the SLT? That's a $1500-2000 difference. You could buy the SXT and get the Hemi.. I'd rather have the Hemi than some fake wood dash and 20s. For towing the Hemi and 17s would be better. if I towed more, I would of opted for the 3.92s but I was more worried about highway mileage and took the 3.55s.

 

I tow a Keystone Passport 195 which fully loaded is about 5000 lbs. The Hemi tows it great. I think the 4.7 would do the job but when you throw in wind resistance and hills to overcome the Hemi would outperform the 4.7 hands down. I'm also a believer that if the truck doesn't have to work as hard to do the job then it will likely last longer. A few extra $$$ now may save more in the long run. Not to mention if you decide to go with a lift/bigger tire in the future you have more options IMO.

 

IMHO, get what you want out of a truck so you are not looking at the dealer lot every time you drive by. Cheaper in the long run to do it right the first time. Get the HEMI, the flex fuel option sounds nice but the loss in efficiency from burning the corn husks (lol) negates any savings you make on the fuel price. The other thing to look at is the maintenance costs associated with the two engines. The 4.7 wins big on this one. The hemi requires both sets (16 plugs) be changed every 30k miles> OMG WTF! So if you put miles on, think of that. The extra warranty is also a selling point. Have you thought about a new one? With the incentives and better financing rate (assuming you are financing) you may be better off in the long run with a new one. Just some of my thoughts. Deuces!!!!

KC

 

The Iridium Plugs (The 96K Ones) on the 4.7L are expensive and difficult to change. I havnt priced the Nickel plugs (48K) so Im not sure what they cost. At 30K I would think the Hemi takes ordinary copper plugs?

 

When I bought my truck, the things that I looked at was the room of the crew cab. I had an extended cab silverado and never again will i get anything but a crew from now on. Another was that I wanted a truck to pull what I wanted to pull and haul what I wanted to haul without wondering if I should of went bigger. The other thing, is that I have never talked to a guy who bought a truck and said, " yea I wish I would of went with a smaller engine because this truck has too much power for me " So that is my opinion, and like some other guys said, only you can really make the decision. Just don't make the decision that keeps you looking at the dealer thinking you wished you went bigger.

 

Take this for it's worth, which is hearsay. But I was told by a fellow RAM owner ('11 Big Horn) that the '09's have a lifetime powertrain warranty, wheras the newer models do not. I have an '09 4.7L 4x4 and like it however I haven't towed anything with it yet. But my 4.7L gets worse gas mileage than my friend's HEMI. In addition, the gearing on my truck is quirkey. When it shifts into 4th gear more times than not it will shift back into 3rd unless I'm accelerating harder than I like. This does get annoying but I've learned to just live with it. I'd go with the HEMI, although the 4.7L has 310HP it feels underpowered considering the heavy weight of the truck itself.

 

Yes, 2009 trucks came with the lifetime powertrain warranty. I'm sure there are limitations and I have no details about it but that is the way they were sold.

Rob

 

Thanks for all of the replies. We went with a 2009 Ram 1500 Big Horn Edition w/ 5.7 HEMI. Have gotten as good as 20 mpg hwy at 65, so that's a hell of a lot better than the 12 hwy we got with our Ford Exploder. I am not sure which gear ratio it has, but I don't see it having any trouble towing/hauling anything I throw at it. Thanks again.